Buckley on UMass baseball's future

Rumors surrounding the elimination of the University of Massachusetts' baseball program have traveled fast and far, but I'm not the guy to tell you about it. Luckily, my desk at The Daily Collegian is right next to that guy's.

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"All we know for certain is that no official ruling has been made by [UMass Athletic Director John] McCutcheon," Eli Rosenwaike, Collegian sports editor told me. "Other than that, it's just rumors."

It all started with a post on the College Baseball Blog earlier last week, which revealed information from "various" anonymous sources claiming that UMass "will likely cut baseball" by year's end.

"McCutcheon did say on the record that one or more programs were going to have to be cut," Rosenswaike told me. He also said that from a strictly economic standpoint, cutting the program makes the most sense.

"The program hasn't been doing well in like five years, doesn't bring in any revenue. Their facilities are terrible and right next to the power plant, so the fans don't go," he said.

Boston Herald columnist and UMass alumnus Steve Buckley wrote a column recently in defense of the program, and he called in the WMUA last night to talk to Collegian sports editors Rosenswaike and Jeffrey R. Larnard.